Students at a school had to give up their smartphones for a project. They used simple phones that could only call and text. This project was to see how much they rely on their smartphones. It showed that many young people depend a lot on their phones. The project made them think about how they use their phones every day.
Some students liked not having their smartphones. They felt free without social media and notifications. Others found it hard because the simple phones didn't have many features. This project made everyone think about how smartphones affect their lives. It also made them wonder if they use their phones too much.
Original news source: College students on life without a smartphone (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Word Association
Instructions: Have the students sit in a circle. Choose a word from the article, for example "smartphones." The first student says a word that is associated with smartphones, for example "technology." The next student must say a word associated with the previous word, for example "computers." Continue going around the circle, with each student saying a word that is associated with the previous word. If a student cannot think of a word, they are out of the game. The game continues until there is only one student left.
– Charades
Instructions: Write down different actions or activities related to smartphones on separate pieces of paper, for example "texting" or "taking a selfie." Divide the students into two teams. One student from each team comes to the front of the class. Show them a piece of paper with an action or activity written on it, but don't let the other students see it. The two students must act out the action or activity without speaking, and their team must guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue with different students and actions until all the papers have been used.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Give each pair a piece of paper and a pen. Choose a word from the article, for example "rely." One student must draw a picture that represents the word, while the other student tries to guess what it is. After a certain amount of time, switch roles and choose a new word. Each pair gets a point for every word they guess correctly.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Give each student a few minutes to think about the following question: "How does your smartphone affect your life?" Then, have the students pair up and share their thoughts with each other. After discussing, bring the class back together and ask a few pairs to share their ideas with the whole group. Encourage students to ask questions or provide feedback on their classmates' ideas.
– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student think of two true statements and one false statement related to the topic of smartphones. For example, "I use my smartphone to check social media every day" or "I have never lost my smartphone." Each student takes turns sharing their three statements, and the rest of the class must guess which statement is the lie. This activity encourages students to practice speaking and listening skills, while also learning more about their classmates' experiences with smartphones.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The students had to give up their smartphones for the project.
The simple phones could only call and text.
The students had to give up their smartphones to see how much they rely on them.
Some students felt free without their smartphones.
Some students found it hard without their smartphones because the simple phones didn't have many features.
The project made everyone think about how smartphones affect their lives.
The project made the students wonder if they use their phones too much.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Students at a school had to give up their for a project. They used simple phones that could only call and text. This project was to see how they rely on their smartphones. It showed that many young depend a lot on their phones. The project them think about how they use their phones every day. Some liked not having their smartphones. They felt free without social and notifications. Others found it hard because the simple phones didn't have features. This project made everyone think about how smartphones affect their . It also made them wonder if they use their phones too much.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a smartphone? Why do people use smartphones?
2. How would you feel if you had to give up your smartphone for a project?
3. Do you like using social media on your smartphone? Why or why not?
4. What are some features that smartphones have? Do you think simple phones are better or worse than smartphones? Why?
5. How do smartphones affect our lives? Do you think they make our lives better or worse? Why or why not?
6. Do you rely on your smartphone a lot? Why or why not?
7. How did the students feel when they didn't have their smartphones? Did they feel free or did they feel like something was missing? Why?
8. Do you think young people depend too much on their smartphones? Why or why not?
9. How do you use your smartphone every day? What do you use it for?
10. Do you think it's important to have a smartphone? Why or why not?
11. What do you think about the project that the students did? Do you think it was a good idea? Why or why not?
12. How do you think your life would be different if you didn't have a smartphone?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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